The monthly meeting of the Domestic Watch was held at the Military Museum in Saxonwold.
The topic for the month of March was, How do criminals get away with doing crime?
Founder of Domestic Watch, Penny Steyn, explained to attendees that it was of vital importance to make sure a child committing a crime is stopped. This is because she believes crime starts at a young age with small things such as taking a sweet that does not belong to him/her and progresses as one gets older.
“Some crime stats that were gathered some time back state that the average robber commits 103 robberies over seven years before being caught, and 97 percent of all robberies are armed. Any person who gets the crime adrenalin taste, young or old, ultimately, this is a recipe for disaster for them, their families and their victims,” explained Steyn.
Her statistics are from a lecturer at Unisa, Professor Rudolph Zinn, who interviewed 30 convicted house robbers serving time in Gauteng prisons. In explaining the effects of early childhood crime, she urged the community to remember, the longer a person commits a crime the easier it is to be violent , rape or even murder.
“Once a child or adult chooses to do a crime, they often get involved in gangs, as I have noticed in my observations,” she said.
She stressed the importance for the community to bear in mind that criminals are smart and clever and often work in gangs or get information from inside sources. They then have the knowledge of what to do to get away with the crime. “Remember, criminals are dressed nicely, have nice cars. They have a change of clothing once they have completed their act of crime, it will be hard for you to recognise them. This is another way they get away with the crime.”
The contacts within the police were highlighted during the lesson. Steyn explained how bribery is a reality which South Africa is facing today. Mentioning that although there are amazing and honest officers out there, there are also those who will be willing to help criminals get away with acts of crime.
She urged attendees to help the honest police out there by reporting misconduct and sharing information of criminal activity so there can be a clamp down.
Martha Khumalo, a domestic worker at the meeting, said she felt empowered knowing the importance of stopping crime in the young ones before it gets worse later in their lives. “I always enjoy the meetings because they help me keep myself safe and others safe too.”
Details: madpenny@absamail.co.za
